NEWS CHANNEL
Published: 01/07/2010 09:08 -
Updated: 01/07/2010 09:10
SIR – I refer to your Brian O’Sullivan’s letter (On the wrong track -Letters 15 June) about East West Rail “raising its ugly head”.
I am surprised that my namesake (no relation) likens the proposed east west railway link to a raised ugly head.
He makes the mistake of assuming that a poorly patronised railway link between Bletchley and Bedford is indicative of patronage elsewhere on the route.
In fact our studies indicate that not only will the East West Rail train services enjoy strong support from the travelling public, but it is also forecast to enjoy a positive revenue stream.
In other words the train operator will derive a surplus of fare box revenue after deduction of operating costs, thus presenting the promoter the opportunity to repay over time the initial capital cost.
As regards the need to tighten belts, the programme for implementation is beyond both the period to be covered by next week’s emergency budget and the comprehensive spending review (CSR) to be published in the autumn.
Regrettably new railway lines have a very long gestation period. However in this instance it works in our favour as we are not looking to acquire significant capital funding until FY 2014/15. However the planning work needs to continue so that the project is well placed for consideration in the next CSR.
Patrick O'Sullivan
Project Manager - East West Rail Consortium
SIR - Your excellent coverage of the public meeting on bus services has helped put this important issue at the centre of public attention. Residents need to know who to blame when services do not meet their needs.
Bus companies provide two basic kinds of service: they run services that they believe will be profitable, and they run unprofitable routes when contracted by the Council to do so. Many of the criticisms seem to relate to services that the bus companies run under contract from the Council, usually as part of the Council's "social inclusion" agenda. Residents should direct those criticisms to their Ward Councillors, who set the policies implemented by officers for subsidised services. Whether the problem is Councillors not setting the right policies, or Councillors not ensuring officers implement the policies set for them, residents should place the blame fairly and squarely on the Council as a whole, and their ward Councillors in particular.
I encourage your readers to email their Ward Councillors to insist this mess is sorted out. And if anyone in Middleton Ward would like to email me their views (to John.Bint @ MKConservatives.com) I will be pleased to assist.
John Bint (Cllr)
Middleton Ward
SIR – It is unfortunate that your readers reacted so strongly to Belinda Minshall’s original letter, which had obviously been written by someone who has no need to use MK buses and which was calculated to offend.
Comparing Arriva’s poor service to apartheid has simply given Ms Minshall another opportunity to occupy what she sees as some sort of moral high ground.
It is a shame that someone who has spent time helping charities is so uncharitable to people in MK.
I am delighted that Ms Minshall is prosperous enough to own a car; healthy enough to ride a bicycle; and lucky enough to have wonderful friends and neighbours who are so willing to help her. She is, indeed, blessed with good fortune. How unkind of her, therefore, to belittle people whose problems she neither shares nor understands.
Most bus users would not dream of inconveniencing their friends and neighbours when we have a local bus service that should take us where we need to go. Many of us travel to and from work or school, every day, and we cannot all arrange car shares or regularly beg lifts from our neighbours.
We are not idle complainers, Ms Minshall, who don’t understand that people suffer far worse fates than unreliable buses. To suggest that we should tolerate abysmally poor service from a UK company, without complaint, because people in other parts of the world are less fortunate than ourselves is, at best, simplistic.
MK bus users cannot take their custom elsewhere – Arriva is the only game in town – and that’s why we are upset and angry. Not only do Arriva’s customers now have to take two buses where they used to take one; buses also run late or not at all, leaving us stranded at bus stops sometimes for hours before the next service arrives.
The consequence of this poor service, Ms Minshall, is not just a loss of our previous time. If a scheduled service breaks down, leaving elderly passengers stranded in sub-zero temperatures, how long before someone suffers from hypothermia?
Children have missed examinations, because of the change in bus services. I know one bus user who lost her job because of being constantly late to work.
People are deciding not to shop in MK, as regularly as before, because of the poor bus service. What do MK businesses think about that?
Denying people who are less fortunate than others the same access to transport and mobility is an Equalities and Diversity issue which is taken seriously by most local authorities. MK Council should perhaps remind itself of its obligations, in this respect.
Bus users have a right to travel and they have a right to complain when they are treated as second class citizens – whether by Arriva, by MK Council or by people such as Ms Minshall who really should know better.
Name and address supplied
SIR - Thank you for printing my letter in your issue, 16th June about the exhibition "Sharing Will Save the World", which continues to run at Central Milton Keynes library until the end of this month.
This second letter is an open invitation to all decision-makers in the Milton Keynes area, particularly MPs, Councillors and business people to take a look at the exhibition and let us all know how they intend to address the issues it raises. These issues affect us all, rich and poor, and will not go away until we all change what we do and why we do it. No-one is exempt!
So far, nothing we have done has made the world a fairer and happy place for everyone on this planet. So, clearly, our current ways of doing things do not work! The situation gets depressingly worse by the day and most of us are suffering more and more as a result. There has to be a better way.
In my experience over the years of discussing these issues around world inequalities, I have found that most people feel this very strongly and it is one of the reasons that many do not vote and there is such a climate of cynicism. There is little point in voting if the decision-makers only offer policies and business practices which are just a regurgitation of what may have already made our world almost unlivable for future generations - maybe even ours.
We need a new way, we need it soon and we all need to be part of the debate on where we go from here. Come on politicians, let's hear what you have to say!
Pauline Welch
Whaddon Road
Newton Longville
Milton Keynes
MK17 0AT
SIR – Having tried to absorb the contents of the budget I have come to the conclusion that it was as good it could be under the circumstances.
However much Labour critises the various ways the Minister of Finance has chosen to get us out of this financial mess, it is the overspending of the Labour Government that got us into it!
The Minister used the word ‘cuts’ – I think it would have been better to use the word ‘economise’ – the waste in both Government and Local Councils in the use of printing, stationery and postage could be cut by at least 20%. The amount of paper that comes through my door each day is astounding.
As regards the reduction of incomes in the various public sectors – this could be covered by less waste. The amount of food that is thrown away is apauling. Having lived through the last war and fifty years Zimbabwe- in the last twenty, the shortages were far worse than during the war. So we had to make do with with very little food. Buying just what you need and not what you think you want could cut down your food bill again by at least 20%. Think up ways of cooking economicalyet nourishing meals. This would save the colossal amount of food wasted and rubbish could be collected less often with a saving of fuel.
Sensible eating would reduce the strain on the NHS dealing with illnesses connected with obesity.
So the public and council can do a great deal themselves in coping with the reduced incomes and cuts of grants.
Mrs. E.G. Burdon
Shelton Court, Woburn Sands
I am surprised that my namesake (no relation) likens the proposed east west railway link to a raised ugly head.
He makes the mistake of assuming that a poorly patronised railway link between Bletchley and Bedford is indicative of patronage elsewhere on the route.
In fact our studies indicate that not only will the East West Rail train services enjoy strong support from the travelling public, but it is also forecast to enjoy a positive revenue stream.
In other words the train operator will derive a surplus of fare box revenue after deduction of operating costs, thus presenting the promoter the opportunity to repay over time the initial capital cost.
As regards the need to tighten belts, the programme for implementation is beyond both the period to be covered by next week’s emergency budget and the comprehensive spending review (CSR) to be published in the autumn.
Regrettably new railway lines have a very long gestation period. However in this instance it works in our favour as we are not looking to acquire significant capital funding until FY 2014/15. However the planning work needs to continue so that the project is well placed for consideration in the next CSR.
Patrick O'Sullivan
Project Manager - East West Rail Consortium
SIR - Your excellent coverage of the public meeting on bus services has helped put this important issue at the centre of public attention. Residents need to know who to blame when services do not meet their needs.
Bus companies provide two basic kinds of service: they run services that they believe will be profitable, and they run unprofitable routes when contracted by the Council to do so. Many of the criticisms seem to relate to services that the bus companies run under contract from the Council, usually as part of the Council's "social inclusion" agenda. Residents should direct those criticisms to their Ward Councillors, who set the policies implemented by officers for subsidised services. Whether the problem is Councillors not setting the right policies, or Councillors not ensuring officers implement the policies set for them, residents should place the blame fairly and squarely on the Council as a whole, and their ward Councillors in particular.
I encourage your readers to email their Ward Councillors to insist this mess is sorted out. And if anyone in Middleton Ward would like to email me their views (to John.Bint @ MKConservatives.com) I will be pleased to assist.
John Bint (Cllr)
Middleton Ward
SIR – It is unfortunate that your readers reacted so strongly to Belinda Minshall’s original letter, which had obviously been written by someone who has no need to use MK buses and which was calculated to offend.
Comparing Arriva’s poor service to apartheid has simply given Ms Minshall another opportunity to occupy what she sees as some sort of moral high ground.
It is a shame that someone who has spent time helping charities is so uncharitable to people in MK.
I am delighted that Ms Minshall is prosperous enough to own a car; healthy enough to ride a bicycle; and lucky enough to have wonderful friends and neighbours who are so willing to help her. She is, indeed, blessed with good fortune. How unkind of her, therefore, to belittle people whose problems she neither shares nor understands.
Most bus users would not dream of inconveniencing their friends and neighbours when we have a local bus service that should take us where we need to go. Many of us travel to and from work or school, every day, and we cannot all arrange car shares or regularly beg lifts from our neighbours.
We are not idle complainers, Ms Minshall, who don’t understand that people suffer far worse fates than unreliable buses. To suggest that we should tolerate abysmally poor service from a UK company, without complaint, because people in other parts of the world are less fortunate than ourselves is, at best, simplistic.
MK bus users cannot take their custom elsewhere – Arriva is the only game in town – and that’s why we are upset and angry. Not only do Arriva’s customers now have to take two buses where they used to take one; buses also run late or not at all, leaving us stranded at bus stops sometimes for hours before the next service arrives.
The consequence of this poor service, Ms Minshall, is not just a loss of our previous time. If a scheduled service breaks down, leaving elderly passengers stranded in sub-zero temperatures, how long before someone suffers from hypothermia?
Children have missed examinations, because of the change in bus services. I know one bus user who lost her job because of being constantly late to work.
People are deciding not to shop in MK, as regularly as before, because of the poor bus service. What do MK businesses think about that?
Denying people who are less fortunate than others the same access to transport and mobility is an Equalities and Diversity issue which is taken seriously by most local authorities. MK Council should perhaps remind itself of its obligations, in this respect.
Bus users have a right to travel and they have a right to complain when they are treated as second class citizens – whether by Arriva, by MK Council or by people such as Ms Minshall who really should know better.
Name and address supplied
SIR - Thank you for printing my letter in your issue, 16th June about the exhibition "Sharing Will Save the World", which continues to run at Central Milton Keynes library until the end of this month.
This second letter is an open invitation to all decision-makers in the Milton Keynes area, particularly MPs, Councillors and business people to take a look at the exhibition and let us all know how they intend to address the issues it raises. These issues affect us all, rich and poor, and will not go away until we all change what we do and why we do it. No-one is exempt!
So far, nothing we have done has made the world a fairer and happy place for everyone on this planet. So, clearly, our current ways of doing things do not work! The situation gets depressingly worse by the day and most of us are suffering more and more as a result. There has to be a better way.
In my experience over the years of discussing these issues around world inequalities, I have found that most people feel this very strongly and it is one of the reasons that many do not vote and there is such a climate of cynicism. There is little point in voting if the decision-makers only offer policies and business practices which are just a regurgitation of what may have already made our world almost unlivable for future generations - maybe even ours.
We need a new way, we need it soon and we all need to be part of the debate on where we go from here. Come on politicians, let's hear what you have to say!
Pauline Welch
Whaddon Road
Newton Longville
Milton Keynes
MK17 0AT
SIR – Having tried to absorb the contents of the budget I have come to the conclusion that it was as good it could be under the circumstances.
However much Labour critises the various ways the Minister of Finance has chosen to get us out of this financial mess, it is the overspending of the Labour Government that got us into it!
The Minister used the word ‘cuts’ – I think it would have been better to use the word ‘economise’ – the waste in both Government and Local Councils in the use of printing, stationery and postage could be cut by at least 20%. The amount of paper that comes through my door each day is astounding.
As regards the reduction of incomes in the various public sectors – this could be covered by less waste. The amount of food that is thrown away is apauling. Having lived through the last war and fifty years Zimbabwe- in the last twenty, the shortages were far worse than during the war. So we had to make do with with very little food. Buying just what you need and not what you think you want could cut down your food bill again by at least 20%. Think up ways of cooking economicalyet nourishing meals. This would save the colossal amount of food wasted and rubbish could be collected less often with a saving of fuel.
Sensible eating would reduce the strain on the NHS dealing with illnesses connected with obesity.
So the public and council can do a great deal themselves in coping with the reduced incomes and cuts of grants.
Mrs. E.G. Burdon
Shelton Court, Woburn Sands
